The New York Times
bestselling author of Reaper’s Stand
is back in her “uber-alpha rough world of MCs”* as one woman’s future is rocked
by the man whose hardcore past could destroy her…

He never meant to hurt her.

Levi
“Painter” Brooks was nothing before he joined the Reapers motorcycle club. The
day he patched in, they became his brothers and his life. All they asked in
return was a strong arm and unconditional loyalty—a loyalty that’s tested when
he’s caught and sentenced to prison for a crime committed on their behalf.

Melanie
Tucker may have had a rough start, but along the way she’s learned to fight for
her future. She’s escaped from hell and started a new life, yet every night she
dreams of a biker whose touch she can’t forget. It all started out so
innocently—just a series of letters to a lonely man in prison. Friendly.
Harmless. Safe.

Now
Painter Brooks is coming home… and Melanie’s about to learn that there’s no
room for innocence in the Reapers MC.

Excerpt:

Excerpt #1 (New to tour)

“You want
to watch a movie or something?” she asked, nodding toward the TV. I had a
decent one, too. Giant-ass flat-screen—homecoming present from the club.

“Sure,” I
said, reaching for the remote. I didn’t have cable, but Ruger had set up some
kind of box thingie for me so I could stream shit. “Whatcha in the mood for?”

“Not
horror,” she said quickly, and I laughed again, remembering that first evening
I’d spent with her at Pic’s house. She’d been so young and scared and
vulnerable . . . I’d wanted to eat her up.

I still
wanted to eat her.

“I can’t
believe that you and Puck were supposed to be watching over me, and then you
put in a slasher movie. That’s not how you make a girl feel safe.”

“No
horror,” I agreed, although the thought of holding her for a couple hours while
she was scared shitless appealed way more than it should. Watch it, asshole.
“How about Star Wars?”

“I wanted
to be Princess Leia. She’s badass,” she said, taking a deep drink of her beer.
I watched as her lips wrapped around the neck, her throat swallowing. Oh fuck,
that was good. She set the beer down on the coffee table with a clink, then let
loose with the biggest burp I’d ever heard.

She cocked her head, and I saw the confusion in her
alcohol- glazed eyes as she wrinkled her nose at me. All cute, like a rabbit.

“You look like a bunny.”

“You look like an ax murder,” she said, frowning. “And I
thought London was looking for me. Aren’t we going the wrong way?”

“I lied. I do that a lot,” I told her, staring at her
lips. I reached out, catching her chin in my hand, running my thumb across her
lips. Our eyes locked, and I don’t know if her pulse started to rise but mine
sure as fuck did. What the hell had I been thinking, writing to this girl? She
was so pretty and perfect and had this amazing, magical life just waiting for
her and all I could think about was dragging her down into the dirt and shoving
my cock into every hole she had.

She’d scream while I did it, too, the same sweet screams
that played in my head every night while I jacked off.

I hated myself.

“Why did you lie?” she asked, her voice a whisper.

“To get you away from Taz. It’s not safe with him.”

Mel’s forehead creased in confusion, her brain moving so
slowly I could practically see the wheels turning behind her eyes. She might be
smart as fuck most of the time, but she’d transitioned to drunker than fuck
tonight. Kit. Kit and Em. They’d done this to her.

I leaned in closer, catching her scent. For an instant I
swayed, so tempted . . .

“They told me all about you,” she whispered.

“Who?”

“The other girls. Kit, Em. Jessica. I know how you
operate,” she continued. One of her hands rose, touching my chest. Fire burst
through me, because if I’d wanted her before I was desperate for her now. She
was so soft, so sweet . . . so perfect.

Then her words sank in.

“What did you just say?”

“They told me all about you,” she said, eyes dropping to
stare at my lips. “They told me you have a Madonna-whore complex.”
I froze.

“A what?”

“A Madonna-whore
complex,” she repeated, her voice earnest. “You like to screw dirty girls and
you put clean girls on pedestals, where they can stay perfect and pure. That’s
pretty messed up, Painter. There’s no such thing as Madonnas and whores. We’re
all just people.”

The words stunned me. What the hell was she talking about?
Just because I didn’t want her dragged down in the drama and bullshit of this
life didn’t mean I had some sort of fucking complex. And who the hell were the
Hayes sisters to have an opinion? I couldn’t tell what pissed me off more—the
fact that they’d talked to Mel about me or that they hadn’t done a better job
of scaring her off.

She wasn’t supposed to be
here.

“Kit and Em are crazy, and that friend of yours—Jessica?
She’s like a car crash. You don’t belong here, Mel.”

“And where do I belong?”

“With some nice kid who’ll treat you like a queen and work
his ass off to give you everything perfect for the rest of your life.” The
words were practically a growl.

Her eyes widened.

“What if I don’t want perfect?”

“Too fucking bad, because that’s what you’re getting.”

Joanna Wylde
is a New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Reapers Motorcycle
Club series. She currently lives in Idaho.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Today on my blog I have the Sonar The Cycle blog tour. On my stop there is a spotlight, chapter 5, cocktails & characters guest post, and giveaway.

Title: Sonar the
Cyclone

Author: B Truly

Series: The Sonar Series (2)

Genre: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance, SciFi

Publisher: Self Published

Release Date: July 3 2015

Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis:

Is your destiny determined
by what the future has foretold? Or is fate deemed in the hands of what you
behold?

The Royal 4 are now back on their home territory of Nazari,
determined to get things back to normal. Syira’s forbidden love is being held
captive. She is hell-bent on fighting for him despite the immense obstacles.
She must find a way to convince her race that Kadeem is not dangerous. Their
threat lies from deeper within.

Shiray has accepted her past and is moving forward
with her life, but it comes back to haunt her tenfold. That all changes when
she stumbles across the truth. Now, she must pick up the pieces of her
shattered life.

They are in the calm but know when they approach the
dirty side of the Cyclone storm, terrible things will unravel. The future is
revealed and they get a glimpse of Fate’s course. Time is not on their side.
They must attempt to change their destiny or their world will be doomed.

Chapter 5:

Chapter 5

* * *
Syira * * *

Kadeem and I grew closer over the next few
months. We saw each other every couple of days. We decided it would be best to
meet at different times of the day. Sometimes we would meet before lunch right
after my training, and other times after dinner. I liked meeting after dinner
the best because it gave us more time together. I had learned so much about
him. I was lying on his chest one evening in our water cave. We had grown so
comfortable with each other and he was playing with my hair. He kissed me softly
on the lips. I loved when he kissed me, even the quick ones. We spent a
majority of our time kissing. I loved when he touched me, period. He was so
affectionate. He tucked my hair behind my ear and grabbed my chin.

“What are you thinking about?” Kadeem asked.

“A lot of things. How much you mean to me, for
one.”

“You mean a lot to me, too. I have never felt
so alive before. You’re the one person I can be myself around.”

“But how far can this go? It’s getting worse
with our planets.” Tears rimmed the surface of my eyes. He sat up and hugged
me.

“Shhh, don’t get upset. I wouldn’t trade this
time with you.”

Don’t
get upset, I thought. Was he blind? Didn’t he see what
was going on? I tried my hardest not to think about it but failed. I had fallen
deeply in love with him. We had never told each other, and I sure hoped he felt
the same way.

“How much longer can we continue to see each
other?”

“For as long as possible. Nothing will stop me
from being with you.” Oh, wow, maybe he did love me. “I want to see you again
tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I agreed. “After dinner tomorrow.” I
would find some way to leave. He kissed me again with more force, and I forgot
about my worries for the moment.

The next evening I was getting dressed when
there was a knock at my door.

“Hey, Nile, what’s up?”

“Hi. Father wanted me to come and tell you he
wants us all to have dinner together tonight. We’re having guests.”

“What? Who?”

“Teron, and his father.”

“My ex-suitor, Teron?”

“Yes…”

“Why?” I said, a little too loudly.

“Whoa, I’m only delivering the message. What’s
wrong? Why are you so upset? Did your courtship end badly?”

What was wrong was that I already had plans.
Now I wasn’t going to be able to make it. Kadeem would worry. I was trying to
teach him to talk through his mind. He could hear me through his mind if I
spoke to him, but he couldn’t respond back. I needed to send him a message, but
if he was on Polaris he wouldn’t hear it. Nile was waiting for an answer. He
cleared his throat.

“Our courtship didn’t end badly, but I really don’t
want to socialize with him. We are at war. It doesn’t make sense. Why would he
invite dinner guests with everything that’s going on?”

“I’m not sure. But let’s make the best of it.”

I rolled my eyes. He smiled and left my room.
Ugh, this was awful. But it didn’t seem like I had a choice in the matter. I
threw on a silver dress, and I stomped downstairs. Father and Nile were already
at the table, eating appetizers. My appetite flew through the Sonar galaxy
twenty minutes ago.

“Syira, my dear, how are you?” my father
asked.

“Hello, Father. May I ask why we’re having
dinner guests at such a trying time?”

He raised his eyebrow. “I want things to be
normal in the midst of everything. I also have important business to discuss
with Teron’s father.” He paused. “Teron is quite fond of you.”

“I’m not fond of him anymore.” I blew out my
breath.

“Nonetheless, I expect you to be on your best
behavior. He is very well suited for you. He comes from a wealthy family. Maybe
you can patch things up. I expect you to entertain him afterwards while I
discuss business with his father.”

“What?”

“You heard me!”

“But, Father, please.”

“No buts. He’s a nice young Kadanan. All I am
asking is for you to talk with him after dinner.”

Tears sprang to my eyes. We were on the brink
of war and my father was trying to play matchmaker.

“Yes, Father,” I said, staring at the table.

“Thank you, dear.”

A couple of minutes later, Shi and Bryan
strolled in, walking hand and hand. Bryan pulled Shi’s chair, which was next to
mine, back for her, sitting down on the other side. She took one look at my
face and knew I was upset.

Syira,
what’s wrong?

My
father wants me to entertain Teron after dinner.

Huh.
Your ex-suitor, Teron?

Yes,
one and the same. It doesn’t even make any damn sense.

I’m
sorry. Hopefully it won’t be too bad. I can stay around afterwards with you if
you like.

Yes!
Thank you.

John walked in with Teron and his father,
Seth.

“Hello, King Julius,” Seth said, bowing his
head to my father.

“Seth,” my father replied.

“You remember my son, Teron,” Seth said,
gesturing to Teron.

“Your Highness,” Teron said, bowing also.

Everyone else exchanged greetings and, of
course, Teron sat in the empty chair on the other side of me.

“Hello, Syira, it’s been a while.”

“Hi, Teron.” I grit my teeth. He took my hand
and raised it to his mouth, planting a kiss. Nothing happened, no electric
currents, and my heart didn’t beat any faster. Teron was attractive. At six
feet tall, he had bold features, high cheek bones, blond hair, and light green
eyes. He was just too demanding for me, and all he talked about was himself. I guess I should prepare to
hear more about him later. It was the
reason I had broken things off. That had been five months ago. He was arrogant
and we had nothing in common. He still tried to pursue me for a while. We had
kissed several times, but it was nothing like how Kadeem seared me. He thought
we could reconcile things, but he was mistaken. I smiled at Teron politely,
while in my head I focused on Kadeem’s face. It was time to send him a message.
I was stuck here next to Mr. me, myself,
and, I.

Kadeem,
it’s Syira. I’m not going to be able to make it today. My father wants me to
stay here for a dinner party. Please meet me tomorrow at the same time.

I prayed he got it. Teron beamed at me. Oh, great, here we go. I was only
halfway paying attention to Teron, saying the occasional oh, and really when I
thought it was appropriate. I was in full pout mode, but he didn’t even seem to
notice. If Kadeem didn’t get my message I wondered how long he would wait there
for me. I decided to send him another message just in case. Maybe he would at
least get one of them.

“So, Syira, how have you been?” Teron asked.

“I’ve been holding up, considering.”

“Yeah, I know things are getting chaotic. My
father has some new strategies for combat,” he whispered. Shi raised her brow.

“Really?”

“They’re going to start setting up teams, and
meeting with other Kadanans around the planet.”

“This war is really going to happen?” I asked
quietly.

“Yes, it is. That’s what I heard my father say
earlier.”

I tried to swallow the huge lump in my throat.
It didn’t seem like Kadeem and I could ever really be together now. My father
glanced our way.

“Let’s talk about this later,” Teron said.

My father spoke. “Nile, Bryan, and Shiray, I
need you to join me. Syira, Shiray can debrief you on what we discussed later.
You can keep Teron entertained until we are done with the meeting.”

My eyes got big and my mouth tight. What was
the meaning of this? Why couldn’t we go to the meeting? Would he really go
through all this trouble to make me spend time with him?

Sorry,
Syira, looks like you will be on your own for a while. I don’t get what’s going
on either, but I will fill you in as soon as we are done.

All
right.

“Do you want to go into one of the living
areas to talk? It would be more comfortable,” Teron suggested after everyone
left. I nodded.

He grabbed my hand. I didn’t want to be rude
and pull it away, but his hand was not the one I wanted to hold. Plus, I figured
I needed to be nice so I could see what information I could get out of him. I
sensed my father was only telling us what we wanted to hear at this point
because he didn’t want to frighten us. I smiled at him politely and held his
hand. I took a seat in one of our five living areas. Teron sat next to me—too
close for my comfort, only a few inches away. I shifted my body at an angle to
put some distance between us. He didn’t seem to think anything of it and
flashed an immense smile.

“Now, where were we,” he began.

My mind was in a million places; Kadeem, the
war, him holding my hand when I didn’t want him to….

“I would like for us to try again, Syira.”

What! This was way off of the subject we were
supposed to be discussing. No, you arrogant Kadanan! I only want to be with
Kadeem. But that seemed impossible.

“Um, I’m not sure that is a good idea to court
with war upon us. Let’s be friends for now.”

“The way things are now is even more of a
reason. We don’t know what’s going to happen. I believe everyone should seize
the moment.”

He shocked me by grabbing the back of my head.
Then he leaned in and kissed me. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to
react. His lips touched mine forcefully. His hand held my head so tightly I
could barely move. I heard a loud noise, and simultaneously Rose, one of our
maidens, came into the room. Teron drew back and I moved as far from him on the
sofa as I could.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Your Highness. I didn’t mean
to intrude. Would you like any refreshments?” Rose asked, blushing.

“It’s okay, Rose. And yes, you can bring us
refreshments.” I was glad for the interruption.

Teron was sitting there looking smug. The
bastard. He was happy with himself and seemed even happier that someone had
seen us. I couldn’t believe he had kissed me. Well, it wasn’t like I responded.
He’d caught me off guard, but I was not going to let it happen again. I felt
guilty, like I was betraying Kadeem.

“Very well, Madam,” Rose said, leaving the
room rather quickly. Teron continued to grin. I wanted to roll my eyes, but
somehow reframed.

“Did you hear a noise right before Rose walked
in?” I asked.

“Yeah. She probably tripped over something.”

Maybe, I
thought. Teron inched closer to me. Ugh! I
stopped him dead in his tracks.

“…Teron, I’m really worried about what is
happening on our planet. Can you please fill me in? It would make me feel
better.”

“Sure, I’ll tell you what I know. Then you can
focus on us. But I’m sure our male warriors will be able to keep Kadan safe, if
it comes down to it.”

I bit my lip so I didn’t curse him out. What a
chauvinistic pig! Women on our planet fought side by side with men equally
during combat.

Teron continued and told me about different
Kadanan quadrants teaming up for battle. Also that there had been several
occurrences of small attacks. This was a shock. I knew of one small battle
where a group of Polars had come to our planet, and had been taken out, but not
several of them. When was my father planning on telling us? Then Teron told me
about some of his father’s fighting strategies, but I found it hard to listen
now that I knew how bad things had gotten.

“Do you know why we are not in the meeting
with the others?” I patiently waited for an answer.

“Well…I asked my father to ask your father for
some alone time with you.”

I knew it. The nerve of him. “So this was your
idea?”

“Yes. I already told you, I want us to try
again. We make a good team, and your father has told me I am well suited for
you.”

My father needed to mind his own damn business
when it came to my personal life. But he was just doing what he always did;
being the king, and making decisions for everyone’s life. Praise Sonar I heard
Shi coming down the hall. She pranced into the room with a devious expression.
She knew I needed her to rescue me.

“King Julius will be finishing up shortly.
Teron, your father wants you in the meeting.”

“Oh, all right,” he said standing up. He
grabbed my hand and kissed it. “Until next time, Syira. Hopefully, that will be
soon.”

Don’t
bet on it. “Okay. It was nice talking with you, Teron.”
He inclined his head, acknowledging Shi. Then he strolled out of the room.

“Bout time you saved me.”

“Better late than never. He really was needed
in the meeting. Things are getting crazy.”

“I know. I got a lot of information from
Teron.”

“What did you find out?”

We filled each other in about the details we
had learned. A while later, I heard men’s voices coming down the hall.

“I’m going to head upstairs, Shi. I’ve had all
I can take of Teron for one evening.”

“Okay. We can talk more later.” She gave me a
hug.

“I’m so worried now after hearing all of this.
Something is telling me things on our planet will never be the same again,” I
whined.

“All we can do is have faith.”

I was too scared of what fate had in store to reply. I snuck to my room. My mind was
spinning in a whirlwind. When I finally got into bed I had a horrible headache.
My brain was on overload. But, regardless of the impeding war, I still had
Kadeem. Blasphemy or not, I was in too deep. I would see him tomorrow no matter
what.

I sat in the soft spot of the rocks waiting
impatiently for Kadeem. It was fifteen past six and I was starting to worry
that he wouldn’t show. I stood up and paced back and forth. Had he gotten my
messages? If he didn’t, then he wouldn’t know I would be here. And if he didn’t
come, then when would I see him again? I let out an uncontrolled whimper and
then heard the swooshing sound from his teleporting. He appeared a few feet in
front of me. I was flooded with relief.

“Praise Sonar you made it.” I beamed at him. I
thought he would stride over and scoop me in his arms as he always did. But he
just stood there, glaring at me. “Hi,” I said cautiously.

“Hello,” he whispered. His forehead was
wrinkled, and the expression on his face was one I’d never seen before. He
still made no attempt to move toward me so I bravely walked up to him.

“Kadeem, what’s wrong?” He shrugged his
shoulders slightly. “You’re scaring me. Tell me why you are upset?” I wrapped
my arms around his neck and he stiffened. Huh? He’d never done that before.
“Please, talk to me?”

“What do you want me to say, Syira?”

“Say about what?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were courting
someone?”

“Courting someone?”

“Don’t lie to me! I saw you with him yesterday at the palace.”

I inwardly cringed. “Oh…Teron.”

“So that’s his name?” he asked, fuming and
pulling away from my embrace. His eyes were filled with rage. The golden glow
around his honey brown eyes blazed like fire. It was very intimidating, and I
took a step back. What had he seen? Then I remembered the noise I’d heard right
before Rose came in. It must have been him. Ugh! He must have seen Teron kiss
me. I bit my lip, trying to think of a way to explain. But, truthfully, I was
afraid of him right now.

“Syira, I have never had these feelings before
and don’t know how to control them. I’ve never been this angry. I almost didn’t
come today because I’m still upset. I thought you felt the same way about me.”

I bravely interrupted him. “We are not
together anymore.”

“Anymore?
Well, I saw you holding hands and him kiss you! It took all of my Polar
strength not to break his neck. He was all over you.”

My fears were confirmed. He had seen it all.
“We stopped courting over five months ago.”

He closed his eyes briefly; his jaw muscles
pulsated. I assumed he was trying to calm down. He opened his eyes after a few
seconds, and they were still burning, but I continued, “My father invited him
and his father over. They needed to discuss some pending issues with the war
after dinner. My father told me I had to attend and also that I had to
entertain Teron afterwards. I didn’t have a choice.”

“That doesn’t explain you holding his hand and
him kissing you.”

“He grabbed my hand. And since I wanted to
grill him for information about the war, I figured I better play along. I
didn’t want him to kiss me. He grabbed me so fast, it caught me off guard. I
didn’t have time to get out of his reach. If you were paying attention you
would have seen I didn’t respond to him.”

“No, I didn’t notice. After he put his mouth
on you, I kind of lost it after that. I punched a wall and left. If I hadn’t, I
would have killed him.”

Punched
a wall? Wow! He was really pissed. “I sent you a message to let you know I
couldn’t make it because I didn’t want you to worry.”

“I didn’t get the message, so I did worry. I
wanted to make sure everything was okay, so decided to go to the palace. I got
the message you sent to me when I arrived, but saw you with him and how he
looked at you. I stayed in the shadows and watched. No one saw me.”

Thank
heaven for small favors. I couldn’t stand him being upset with me.
Taking a deep breath, I closed the distance between us, and wrapped my arms
around him. This time he didn’t flinch, but stared down at me questioningly.

He relaxed and finally hugged me back. “You
don’t have feelings for him?”

“No. I only care about you. I only want to be
with you.”

He smiled slightly. “I’m sorry I got the wrong
idea and yelled at you.”

“It’s okay. I can see how it looked.”

“I didn’t want to go to the palace, but when
you didn’t show I was anxious. I needed to see with my own eyes you were safe.”

He hugged me tighter and kissed the top of my
head. “Well, he has feelings for you.”

“Too bad! I’m not in the least bit interested.
My father introduced us and it’s the only reason I talked to him in the first
place.”

“He better leave you alone, then. If he
touches you again, I can’t promise I won’t kill him.”

“It won’t happen again. Don’t worry.”

“Good, because the thought of you being with
anyone else…the thought of anyone touching you …” His body tensed again.

I grabbed his face with both my hands. “Stop,”
I exclaimed, gazing into his eyes. “You are the only man for me. I don’t want
anyone else.”

“So you are mine then?”

“Yes.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

“Kadeem, I am yours,” I said breathlessly.

“And only mine.”
His mouth landed on mine for a dynamite kiss. I responded with equal passion. I
tugged his hair and caressed his chiseled back. My heart was beating rapidly.
We continued to kiss and our breathing accelerated as our hands journeyed over
one another. He tasted my peach enhancer from my tongue and groaned loudly.
Then he picked me up swiftly, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He dashed
over to our soft spot in the rock, laid me on it, and glided his body on top of
mine.

“I want you, too.” His blazing eyes seared me,
but this time with desire, not anger.

“Syira, I love you.”

I melted with his confession. We had never
told each other before, but I was elated to finally hear him say it. “I love
you too, Kadeem.” He smiled with pride and pulled his shirt over his head. I
gasped. He was so ripped. It should be a sin to look that magnificent. With every touch he made my body feet like it was
being hotwired with electricity. He began suckling my neck. Then he kissed me
again and cascaded his tongue along mine. It was a smoldering kiss. He broke
away for a second.

“Your beauty makes my breath falter,” he
exclaimed.

My heart skipped a beat. I wanted to share
myself with him, body and soul. In the heat of the moment, I wasn’t aware of
how our clothes vanished. I felt my eyes grow wide as I took in the sight of
his thick manhood. How was this going to
work?

“Is this okay? Are you sure?”

I knew beyond a doubt that I wanted this.
“Yes,” I replied out of breath. “I need you, too!”

Kadeem leaned down and I gasped as he sucked
the tip of my bosom. He caressed the other tip and put it in his warm mouth.
Sharp pleasure ignited inside me and I jerked. Then he planted seductive kisses
on my stomach and continued down, down … oh what was he doing?

“Open your legs for me, Syira. I’ve wanted to
do this for so long.”

I obeyed and he positioned his head between my
legs. Then he massaged his tongue along my Eden. “Kadeem!” I cried, and my toes
curled. I didn’t know what I expected. But I didn’t think it would be like this,
could feel like this. Powerful spikes of paradise flooded through me. I tried
to move, but he pinned me down. He thrust his tongue inside my creases while
the other hand stroked the most sensitive part of my body. The sensations were
mind boggling but compelling. My hips began to move of their own accord, in
sync with what his tongue was doing. My hands were entangled in his hair. The
tension was building. Umm, could I take much more? It seemed like I was about
to explode. Seconds later I did, and my body detonated like a red giant nebula.

My head swam in ecstasy and I shivered like a
leaf. He parted my legs wider and fit in between them like he was made to be
there. The pressure was immense as he penetrated through my folds of innocence.
Our bodies connected, melding into one. It was a burning, yet gratifying
sensation. I exhaled a plea as he gravitated into me and groaned in my ear. I
dug my nails into this broad back and got lost in his slow but powerful
thrusts. It was electrifying. Giving my body to the man I loved only made me
love him more.

My hips danced with the rhythm as he plunged
faster and deeper into me. I moaned, then gazed into his beguiling honey eyes
and was captivated by the intensity of them. As I continued to stare, something
happened. His eyes dilated and the color of the golden glow around his irises
changed colors. The glow became a crystal blue. They were beautiful. His
breathing became ragged. Our stamina increased and he molded his body even
tighter to mine. His head flew back and he groaned loudly. Then he closed his
eyes and whispered my name. His body began to quiver and I began to feel an
incandescent burning. It was hot, smoldering, and intensifying by the second. I
was overwhelmed by the force of it and didn’t understand what was occurring.
Frankly, at the moment, I didn’t care. This power
that was surging through me felt like a tsunami crashing inside me. I arched my
back and cried out his name. I held on to him for dear life, and the next thing
I saw was darkness.

“Syira! Syira, are you all right?” Kadeem
asked frantically as he continued to shake me.

I finally came to and slowly opened my eyes. I
was dizzy and my body felt like jelly. What had happened to me? “I’m okay,
Kadeem,” I whispered.

“Are you sure, my love? You had me worried.”

My
love? I liked the endearment. “I have never been better.” I gleamed.

He blew out his breath. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, I’m fine. But is there something you
forgot to tell me? The glow around your eyes changed colors and I felt this powerful force radiating through me. I
know this was my first time and all, but I don’t think that was normal. I mean,
I did have my own pleasure beforehand, but this energy felt different. It was a lot stronger, and it didn’t seem to
stem from me.”

He started blushing, which was something he
didn’t do often.

“Well, I have only heard about it and I didn’t
know firsthand, since it was my first time as well. But it’s a trait that
happens to the male Polar upon completion. It’s called the force of exhilaration.”

He was a virgin!
He had to be kidding. He seemed so experienced at love making. And what did he
mean by completion? “You were a virgin?”
I asked, flabbergasted.

“You say it as if it was a dirty word.”

“You are twenty-one-years old. I just assumed
you had before. You seem so ... so skilled. Are you sure you were a virgin?”

“Yes, I was.
You don’t believe me?”

“I’m surprised, that’s all.”

“I have had plenty of opportunities, but
didn’t go through with them. You are the only woman I have ever loved. I am not
like the typical male Polar. When it comes to fighting and battle, I consider
myself a great Polar warrior. But in other aspects, like relationships, this is
my first serious one.”

I beamed up at him; this made him really mine.
Now we really did both belong to each other. “Well, speaking of the typical
male Polar—what we experienced, does that happen to all male Polars?”

“Yes. It is something a Polar couple shares
together. The male Polar is the one it stems from. We don’t know the dynamics
of it, but the golden glow around our iris changes to a crystal blue. Once we
ignite, the woman feels the effects of it also. Your bodies become one unity
and you experience the powerful force of
exhilaration together.”

He wasn’t kidding about the force being powerful. I actually passed
out from it for a few seconds.

“So, in other words, at your peak of pleasure,
your orgasm actually transfers into
me?”

“Um … yes.”

“Holy
shit! I thought our race had extraordinary gifts with Soul-searching and
tongue enhancement. That doesn’t hold a candle to your races unique love-making
bonanza. How do any of your people ever make it out of bed, if your entire race
experiences this?”

He burst out laughing. It was a pleasant
sound. “My people do make a lot of babies.”

This was definitely a fact. The Polars
outnumbered us vastly, and now I understood why.

“As for relationships, this is my first
serious one, too,” I added.

“Good. I want to be your one and only.”

“Your father never presented you with a
woman?” I dared ask, but since we were on the topic I wanted to know.

“Yes, but I declined. You must know by now, no
one will make me do anything I don’t want to. And as I’ve told you with the
last woman I courted, I knew she wasn’t the one.” I kissed him softy on the lips.
Reveling in the fact, he’d chosen me. “Believe it or not, sex is always
something that I thought should mean something between two people. That’s why
my first time was with you. Now, enough talking, I want you again, my love.”

He captured my lips and my blood boiled. I
returned his kiss eagerly as he laid me back. And we shared our bodies in a
symphony of love once more.

It was late and we dressed quickly.

“I wish we could spend the night together,” he
said, his eyes burning into mine.

“I do, too.”

“When can I see you again?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

“No, I want to see you tomorrow.”

“Kadeem … we need to be discreet and very
careful. I won’t be able to get away tomorrow.”

His mouth formed in a tight line. “You’re
right, but I’m tired of sneaking around. I want everyone to know you belong to me.”

“We can hope for that in our future.” I hugged
him and he squeezed me tightly, then we teleported to the edge of the woods by
the spur tree behind the palace. This was our new meeting spot. I was reluctant
to let go from his embrace.

“Goodnight, Kadeem.” He leaned down and kissed
me gently on the lips.

“Until we meet again, my love.”

His new nickname for me made me tremble. I
hated to say goodbye. It was getting harder to each time. Our eyes locked for a
moment longer and then he disappeared. I was in a trance as I went inside, more
like a love spell. So many emotions were surging through my mind. I still felt
heated from our love making. But, at the same time, my heart felt cold because
he was not with me. Making love for the first time—well, two times—was mind
blowing. It was nothing how I imagined. It hurt, but only momentarily. Then the
pleasure spiked, overwhelming me with multiple sensations. And was it normal to
actually pass out from sex? I wish I could ask Shi. I now understood the way
Bryan and Shiray felt about each other.

I was still in disbelief he was a virgin. He
made love to me like he was fulfilling his destiny. His golden eyes danced with
mine and portrayed the internal love he held. Heat pulsed inside of me and I
was lightheaded as images danced through my mind of his hands all over my body.
I jumped in the shower and let cold water flow over me. I lost track of time as
I tried to cool my body temperature. I would never be able to concentrate in
our meeting tomorrow, or training at this rate.

Finally, I got a hold of myself and glanced up
into the night sky on my terrace. Our three moons sparkled in purple and pink
rays of energy. They were the symbol of our planet, meaning strength and unity.
They always gave me hope when I looked at them. Even though we were on the
brink of war, it was still peaceful at nighttime.

When Kadeem told me he loved me, it was the
happiest moment of my life. Could our love last forever? I couldn’t cope if
something ever happened to him. I would die for this Polar, and I had to have
faith that love this powerful was meant to be. I didn’t want to ruin tonight
thinking about the consequences my decision would lead to. Now, I would live in
the moment, because it was all I had
to keep me sane.

Cocktails
& Characters (for the main characters)

Choose 2 or
3 of your characters tell us what their favorite cocktail is and why.

On Kadan, there’s no need
for fermentation. The berries are potent with natural liquor that comes
straight from the berry. The berries are picked off the bushes from varieties
of sweet and tart, to tangy and bitter. They are mixed with yeast and hops, or
various different fruit flavors to enhance the taste.

Syira Romeland

Favorite Cocktail: Thasian Berry Cocktail

This popular drink is a sweet tasting red wine made from the
fierce Thasian berry.

Bryan Romeland

Favorite Cocktail: Milasion Lager

This is a strong beer made from potent Milasion berry.

Nile Romeland

Favorite Cocktail: Milasion Blast

This cocktail is a combination of the potent Milasion berry
and Bonnet berry. The berries are mixed together with pineapple and grape
juices. This makes for the ultimate taste.

Make sure you check out The Book Quarry on November 20 for chapter 6 of this book.

I have
wanted to be an author since I was fifteen years old and grateful to have
accomplished this dream. I have three wonderful children and a husband who
defines the person I am today. I work full-time as an Ultrasound technologist in
Sugarland, Texas.

I have very vivid dreams and a wild
imagination. I like to read, watch tons of TV shows, and movies. I’m addicted
to romance and get a thrill out of action and suspense. I write New Adult
Fantasy, Sci-fi, and Paranormal-Romance.

In the Sonar series it was fun to explore
different elements of Sci-fi romance and create various realms of powers for my
characters. I want to show my readers that Sci-fi can be fun, but also
traumatic. I hope you guys enjoy the Sonar Series.

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Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I would also like to say Thank You to B Truly for the chapter & guest post and say Thank You to RBTL for letting me participate in this blog tour. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below.